Browsing by Author "Wijesundara, J"

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Design Environments Inspiring Employee Satisfaction: A Comprehensive Study on Design Elements Rousing Satisfaction Levels with Special Reference To State Sector Offices in Homagama, Sri Lanka
(SLIIT, Faculty of Engineering, 2024-10) Pathirana, V.D.; Wijesundara, J
Though job satisfaction is one of the most studied facets of organizational behaviour, the involvement between its physical environment and satisfaction for work efficiency is seldom studied. A quality design fosters a less stressful and productive office environment. The employable community has proliferated with the development of the tech city in Homagama. Thus, a healthy office environment is essential for employees' eight-hour daily work duration. This paper aims to study how employees determine their satisfaction level within the work environment regarding different design elements. It investigates the extent of integration of identified design elements and discusses further necessary improvements. The research involved 84 employees across three state-sector offices in Homagama: the Divisional Secretariat Office, the Zonal Education Department, and the Medical Officer of Health. The examination will utilize on-site observation, an open-ended structured questionnaire and available literature. The perceived importance of different parameters will be clarified with the compatibility of the standard parameters of British standards. The results highlight a significant impact on employee satisfaction due to the lack of personal space, with additional factors including internal layout, furniture, circulation space, ventilation levels, and sanitary facilities. Furthermore, the study indicates that the perceived importance of design parameters equals or higher than the importance of satisfaction. In conclusion, prioritizing employee health and well-being in office spaces is crucial for improving overall well-being, efficiency, and reducing energy consumption. The paper suggested enhancing office design through the implementation of passive design principles and space utilization strategies. The insights will be useful for architects and facility managers to utilize the interior by improving the quality of productive, user-friendly, energy-efficient, and sustainable offices.
Open Access
Inhabitants’ Satisfaction in Neighbourhood Sustainability: Insights from Colombo
(Center for Environmental Planning and Technology University, 2021-01) Wijesundara, J; Weerasinghe, U. G. D; Perera, L. S. R
Despite an increasing number of studies on the evaluation of sustainable neighbourhoods, only a few have paid attention to the identification of the components that influence the degree of inhabitants' satisfaction. A neighbourhood is a built entity that situates the experiences of daily lives of a group of inhabitants in an identifiable geographical space, while neighbourhood sustainability is the process of nurturing its environment to support and meet both economic and social needs of its inhabitants. A sustainable neighbourhood should ensure a desired quality of life and satisfaction to its inhabitants by inter-twining the local,social, environmental, and economic aspects to enable its sustenance as a wholesome place to live. However, most neighbourhoods do not do so. This paper investigates an urban residential neighbourhood in Colombo: the Newham Square, and examines the degree of inhabitants’ satisfaction based on their evaluations. It assesses neighbourhood sustainability under the three main sustainability parameters: environmental, social, and economic facets. Physical and non-physical elements of the neighbourhood form is investigated by using secondary data. Structured interviews were carried out to ascertain inhabitants’ satisfaction while physical observations were made to identify the deterministic elements. Finally, it concludes that the neighbourhood form has a significant role to play in ensuring inhabitants’ satisfaction and therefore neighbourhood sustainability.